Bridges are everyday fixtures that help people make connections. Big Bridges, on view now through December 6th in the Target Studio for Creative Collaboration, seeks to do the same thing. The exhibit is a platform for collaborative interaction between artists, poets, filmmakers, architects, engineers, museum gallery visitors and web surfers.

In conjunction with the exhibit, filmmakers are now being asked to submit short films based on poems written by the winners of the national poetry contest, another related program. Selected films will be screened at a festival in the WAM galleries on September 30th, 2015.

This is a great portfolio building opportunity! Submissions are due August 10th, 2015.

Making connections and submitting work are some of the most vital elements of an artist’s job (or anyone else’s!). Presenting yourself well can be more important than producing strong work, especially because everyone has different taste and criteria aiding their curatorial decisions.

Here are some tips that will help you stand out when pitching your ideas and yourself for the festival, or in any situation. These can help with submitting a resume or applying to any job posting!

1. Read the guidelines carefully. The more you do to cater your work to the specific call, the better chance you have of being published, screened, signed, hired, etc. You need to make sure that you provide the your work in the appropriate format, because chances are, a gallery or publisher won’t have time to correct you. On the Motionpoems website, they even have helpful notes in blue alongside each poem.

2. Submit your work before the deadline – which means not at the last minute. This is a testament to your work ethic. People want to work with reliable artists and use compatibility and professionalism as deciding factors when making tough decisions. This also gives you a chance to solve any technical problems on your end. The Big Bridges film festival requires you to make an account to submit your work. Make sure you figure out how to do that well in advance!

3. Choose e-mail subjects and file names that will be helpful for the recipient. Include your name and project title so they can find your submission amongst all others. Some calls even have guidelines for titling e-mails and files (see #1). Films in this festival will have the same titles, so it’s even more important to include your name in the file.

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